2017 GMC Acadia complaints

There is a continuing issue with the shifter causing a "Shift to Park" message that is resulting in the vehicle electrical system not turning off. This is causing the vehicle to drain the battery and not able to lock the vehicle while the "Shift to Park" message is displayed on the instrument panel. Concerned not only what is mentioned above but mainly concerned in not knowing if the vehicle is truly in park that may cause the vehicle to roll.

GMC customer care representative & local GMC service department supervisor unable to help. 2017 Acadia Shift to Park message. It’s Difficult to turn the car off. The vehicle refuses to acknowledge the park position. Potential rollaway hazard. You may inspect. Took it to GMC service & confirmed it is a prevalent issue: Transmission control 13534320 = gearshift assembly & Jumper harness 84733196. This problem has been recurring for several years and I have problem solved how to shut the car off. GMC customer care rep said it’s an issue with all 2017 Acadias and tried to help. The system deemed it complicated case & escalated it to a Supervisor. She read a “customer care” script. After talking, she admitted that realistically GMC would not help. Yesterday, she advised me to file a complaint with NHTSA. I read that 2 other states Ohio & Tennessee won class action lawsuits because of the hazardous shift to park issue. If GMC issued recalls for 2017 Acadia shift to park then my 2017 GMC Acadia should have been included. I have been waiting for the recall for several years. GMC admits the problem is prevalent in 2017 GMC Acadias. Would you please issue a recall associated with this issue and link it to my VIN. Thank you.

The contact's boyfriend owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked abnormally while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure; however, the mechanic stated that the failure was related to the transmission. The contact called two local dealers about the failure, and both stated that the vehicle could not be serviced in the near future. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.

The middle row passenger side bucket seat seems to have a seat buckle failure. We have had a booster seat professionally installed for over a year. I check daily before my son gets in the seat that the seat is properly secured, but this morning it was loose. The shoulder belt that you have to pull all the way out to ratchet. It in place was completely un ratcheted and free to move. The buckle was still buckled completely, and the only way the shoulder belt should have been able to be loose like that would’ve been completely unbuckling and letting it retract all the way. The seat buckle was never unbuckled whatsoever. It seems like that ratcheting mechanism somehow failed and released the lock on the shoulder belt which was supposed to be holding the car seat in place. To properly resecure the car seat, I needed to unbuckle and allow the seat buckle to completely retract back into its normal position before pulling it back out to route through the car seat and re-ratcheting it tightly. The locking mechanism appears to be working now, but I am concerned that without unbuckling the seat buckle it just randomly Unlocked on its own.

Driving down the street and I heard a extremely loud drop. The transmission went out with no warning or even indication of trouble. The vehicle ran very smooth until that point.

WHEN I STOP AND PUT ME CAR IN PARK IT USUALLY GIVES A WARNING SHIFT INTO PARK

When I shift my car to park, it doesn't register that it is in park. It won't let me shut the car off. I can move the gear shift around a bit and it will eventually say it is in park. It can take sometimes up to 10 minutes for me to be able to shut off my car. I have read that this is a known issue and there was a recall, but my vin number was not included for some reason? The issue started about a month ago and has been continually getting worse.

SHIFT TO PARK Warning comes on & you can't lock the vehicle nor will it shut off completely. I've had to start & reverse several times before it engages/recognizes that it is in park. OBVIOUSLY this is a KNOWN issue by reading all the other posts relating to this. Please issue a recall....

Side Detection Malfunction Message on Dash. Blind spot and cross traffic alerts not working. Vehicle has a blind spot on the driver's side and without this alert, I have found that vehicles appear to not be there but actually which causes issues with merging traffic and lane changes leading to potential collisions. Dealer replaced the side detection modules under warranty and special policy because of water intrusion into the modules. This exact same symptoms and parts have occurred and replaced 5 times, and a 6th is currently needed. All work was performed exclusively at GMAC dealer and vehicle is accident free. GM issued a special policy that covered this specific repair, and the vehicle now needs to it done a 6th time and GM has refused to assist saying vehicle is out of special policy. I have requested that GM inspect the vehicle but no response. I contacted GM and they declined assistance. I currently have the feature turned off because it was providing an error message on the dash and false alerts. I don't believe that GM actually has a long-term fix for this safety issue. Original Set of Sensors - 0 Miles - 2nd set of sensors - 5,894 Miles - 2/2018 3rd set of sensors - 17,078 Miles - 5/2019 4th set of sensors - 32,546 Miles - 4/2021 5th set of sensors - 45,463 Miles - 3/2023 6th set of sensors - 64,335 Miles - 3/2025

Shift to park appears when vehicle is already in park and the vehicle will not turn off.

Vehicle keeps intermittently coming up with "Power Steering Reduced: Drive with Care," during this my steering is perfectly fine, however my A/C stops blowing cold air, the temperature gauge stops working and my engine fan is running constantly. This is obviously a well known issue since googling that warning and my vehicle it comes up with the issue and what the cause is. Which the cause is from the thermostat remaining open and allowing coolant to run through the system, even when the vehicle is not overheating. I just bought this vehicle used from my local dealership and am surprised that GM has not recognized this is an issue affecting numerous vehicle. This should at the very least be put as a warranty covered issue!

Shift to Park light remains on after you’ve put the car in “park” which could potentially run the battery down. Car does not recognize when it is in “park”. Have to “jiggle” the gear a bit, in hopes that it turns off.

Vehicle is showing message of “shift to park” while trying to turn ignition off and currently in park. There is a current recall but it is saying this vehicle is not included in recall.

While driving at highway speeds, a warning appeared on the Driver Information Center (DIC): “Steering Assist is Reduced – Drive with Care.” Simultaneously, the temperature gauge was stuck on “C,” the radiator cooling fan ran at high speed, and the air conditioning stopped blowing cold air. After researching the issue, I discovered that these symptoms are commonly linked to a failing thermostat—a known and widespread problem with GM’s 3.6L LGX engine. Unfortunately, replacing the thermostat on this engine is not a simple repair, often requiring significant labor and cost. The most concerning aspect is the loss of steering assist, which poses a serious safety risk, especially at highway speeds. Given the frequency of this issue across many GM vehicles, it’s clear that this is a defective part and not an isolated incident. GM should take responsibility and cover the cost of repairs for affected vehicles. This is not just a mechanical failure—it’s a safety hazard that deserves immediate attention. I'm attaching a picture of the message as well a paid repair invoice from the work the dealer performed to replace the thermostat on my vehicle.

The transmission in my 2017 GMC Acadia needs to be replaced. According to an article from Qulll&Arrow, LLP, transmission problems affected the 2017, 2018, 2019 and some 2020 models, however, my VIN number is not included in this. I am reporting this so it can be documented in case other owners come forward and a pattern can be established.

Vehicle has shift to park message, and will not allow the vehicle to shut down even though the vehicle is in park.

Subject of the problem: Service brakes/Hydraulic brakes Problem of the vehicle: While driving, the brake pedal sometimes suddenly goes all the way down without resistance, and the vehicle does not slow down as expected. In order to regain brake pedal twice. Frequency of the problem: This issue occurs intermittently, but it poses a serious risk because the vehicle may not stop when needed. I already had the brake booster kit and hose replaced at an authorized GMC dealership because I was told this was the cause. However, the exact same problem continues to happen after the repair. Safety concern: This appears to be a defect that affects braking performance and safety. The issue occurs intermittently while driving (e.g., at stop lights, low-speed braking, or during normal driving). It has happed multiple times since the repair. This problem could cause loss of braking power and result in a crash. It is extremely dangerous and has not been resolved by the manufacturer's recommended repair. I have called the GMC service center at 18004678782 and 18002221020 with this problem. They told me that they could do nothing about it and to deal with the dealership directly myself and they can not do anything. I have talked to the dealership but they just tell me there was another problem other than the initial problem they told me. The dealership did the first checkup and that problem was not fixed. Then went in again because the same problem was happening so they did another checkup and

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the vehicle had to be turned on and off approximately 2 - 3 times to place the gear shifter in park(P), for the transmission to remain in park(P). The message “Shift to Park” would be displayed on the instrument panel. The failure was intermittent at first, but since started occurring more frequently. The dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 91,587.

WHEN I PUT MY CAR IN PARK I WILL GET A "SHIFT TO PARK" NOTIICATION AND WILL HAVE TO MOVE MY CAR MULTIPLE TIMES TO GET IT TO REGISTER. THERE IS A RECALL FOR THIS EXACT PROBLEM ON OTHER 2017 GMC ACADIA BUT DOES NOT FALL UNDER MY VIN #

I have gotten a alert on my vehicles dashboard after parking saying "shift to park" my car won't turn off until I can wiggle the shifter just right or have to take it out of park, back to drive back to park. I didn't have my radio on once and I didn't notice it wasn't all the way off and my battery went dead.

We were receiving a message stating steering reduction. Turns out the thermostat sticks open and the electronic control module reset was a temporary fix. We had the thermostat replaced and the issue hasn’t happened again. Steering issues should be a safety issue and be considered for recall. Your thoughts please.

Shift to park. Car will not register as in park. Have previously had issue fixed and has started again. Was told this is a common reoccurance and would likely happen again over time even if I pay to have it fixed again. Yesterday I spent 45 minutes trying to get the car to turn off. If it says shift to park the car will not shut completely down and there is nothing that can be done. I spoke with gmc for 30 min and was finally told to unhook the battery because they have no way to make it shut off without going to a dealership which was closed at the time.

The transmission failed at 90k miles, causing shuddering and stalling on acceleration. This has occurred several times on major highways and is very dangerous.

I get a warning whenever the car is placed on park with the shifter telling me to shift to park even though it’s already on park. This causes the car to not be able to turn off

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission was slipping while attempting to change gears. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.

Cannot shift out of park. AC stops blowing also. Electric seats stopped working. Replaced BCM modular, solenoid , entire shifter and more. It worked for two months. -Happening again. Cannot shift out of park and the AC stops working. Seat are working at moment. It’s all intermittent. Currently dealer will not help me. No warranty anymore. Im on a site where thousands of gmc’s have this same problem. Im gonna have to bring back to another dealer but no one can figure it out how to fix this. I sent my last bill. I also had one before that with the shifter assembly and solenoid replaced. I cannot find at moment

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10-15 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormally loud blower motor sound while accelerating, before the vehicle lost motive power. The transmission was shifted to neutral(N) and pushed to the side of the roadway. The TPMS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who determined that the transmission clutch had failed, and the transmission needed to be rebuilt or replaced. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed there was no recall coverage or warranty coverage on the VIN for the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 132,000.

Shifting car into park and the car does not register that it is in park. Display reads "shift to park" and lights do not shut off. Car will sit for 15 or more minutes before the car registers it is actually in park. I try to start it, shut it off, of start it, put in gear and then switch back to park and shut it off but still reads "shift to park". Battery is going to die if this keeps happening. GMC should be responsible for doing a complete recall on this, especially since they are aware of the problem. I have been stranded in parking lots waiting for this car to correct itself. this has been going on for over 4 years.

Drive shaft has excessive play

My vehicle won’t shift into park

The vehicle would not recognize the truck was shifted to park. The gear shift was replaced in 2024 and the same problem occurred 9 months later. The first GMC repair location did not connect the shifter cable correctly, causing the problem to persist. I had to pay twice to resolve an issue seen in many of the 2017 GMC Acadia models. This problem should be considered a recall, and charges for repair should be covered by GMC.

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering assist warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the warning light then turned off independently. In addition, the contact stated that the air conditioning failed to function as intended and the interior of the vehicle became extremely hot. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The contact stated the vehicle was taken to the dealer in 2024 for the failure, and the contact was informed that the power steering assist feature had failed, and the software needed to be updated. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer for a diagnostic test, and a case number would then be provided. The failure mileage was unknown.

When I turn off the car it says required "shift to park" the car stays on and I can not exit the car it will not lock doors and it stays on.

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while attempting to shift into park, the message "Shift to Park" was displayed. There was no warning light illuminated. Due to the failure, the contact was unable to turn off the vehicle. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced Technical Service Bulletin: PIT5616; as a possible cause for the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000.

I’m just reporting several known issues. First, with code P2138, which I got today at Oreilly after my car started throwing warnings. I used my parking brake briefly and afterwards got the following warnings on my car: “Steering Assist is Reduced, Drive with care”, “Engine power reduced” , “Propulsion Power is reduced” , “Service Parking Brake”. I’ve never even had one of these warnings. I’ve only gotten “shift to park” which is another known & common issue. With this P2138 code, it can affect acceleration and essentially loss of control over it, but seems I suddenly have several issues. Recently the infotainment system is possessed, touch screen stops working, it calls people by itself, beeps and scrolls by itself and is essentially useless. Might as well be driving at 1997 something or other, at least I could play a tape or CD. This is Denali trim at 87K miles. Primarily though I’m concerned with this code, if it’s legit, it is very dangerous. How unreliable and unsafe to not know.

As i am driving it flashes the warning sign like if I was going to hit another vehicle when there is no car in front of me, this has happened since I purchase the care 1/2024, this has happen around l7 to 8 times already.

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while attempting to shift into park(P), the vehicle failed to turn off, with the "Shift to Park" message displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that after several attempts, the vehicle eventually turned off. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V516000 (POWER TRAIN). The vehicle was not repaired and remained with the dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

After shifting to park and attempting to turn off my vehicle, I receive an “Action Required Shift to Park” error message. I’m assuming the vehicle is in park but I’m not certain and worry about it moving or rolling. It is difficult to get it to turn off by jiggling the shifter and turning the vehicle on and off. At times, I am not able to get it off and then the vehicle will not lock and the battery goes dead. According to my VIN there is not an active recall but brief internet search states there has been numerous reports, recalls, and lemon law returns due to this.

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the brake pedal was firm. The contact applied full pressure to the brake pedal, and the vehicle stopped. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with brake vacuum pump failure. Additionally, the contact was informed that the brake vacuum pump had fractured, and a part of the brake vacuum pump had lodged into the engine. The contact was informed that the brake vacuum pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 115,911.

When placed in park a message appears to Shift To Park and the vehicle electrical system stays energized.

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while attempting to turn off the vehicle, the vehicle failed to turn off. The contact shifted from park (P) to drive(D) and was eventually able to turn off the vehicle. The contact stated that the letter P(park) was outlined in yellow and was illuminated on the instrument panel. Additionally, the contact stated that while attempting to close and lock the driver's side door, the door failed to lock securely. The contact stated that the failures occurred simultaneously. The contact stated that the failures were intermittent. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.

The vehicle keeps shaking specially at the first and second gear, up to 40miles/hr and at any up hills roads. I took it to the mechanic and he said that it’s an issue in the transmission and needs to be replaced. Also the engine fan randomly turns on automatically, and a warning message stating “Steering assist reduced. Drive with care”

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while attempting to shift to park(P) to turn off the vehicle, the message that the vehicle was not in park(P) was displayed. The contact stated that the gear shift indicator showed that the vehicle was in park(P). The contact shifted to drive(D) and then back to park(P) several times before being able to turn off the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but had become a recurring failure. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 89,776.

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware that the steering wheel was inoperable, with the message “Steering Assist Reduced” displayed. The contact stated that the steering wheel was loosened and became difficult to turn. The vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the thermostat coolant sensor had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 80,510.

Very bad shuttering when driving, took it to transmission shop and they said it needs to be replaced

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the shift to park message was displayed. The vehicle failed to recognize the gear that transmission was shifted into. The message “Steering Assist Reduced - Drive with Care” was displayed. There was an abnormal beeping sound when the door was closed. The contact had to move the gear shifter to shift into the selected gear. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the thermostat and the gear handle needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired under the warranty, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted, and informed the contact to keep the receipt for a possible recall reimbursement and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000.

A couple of months ago, I tried to put my car in park and shut it off the same way I have for years. The car made a rapid alarm sound and displayed a SHIFT TO PARK message on my dashboard. In order to get the car to shut off correctly, I had to squeeze the button on the shifter and gently push forward and backwards until the car recognized that I was in park. This now happens approx. 1 in every 15 times I try to turn off my vehicle. When this happens, I do not know if my car is actually in park and this is just a sensor issue or if the car is in fact struggling to shift to park!? If that's the case, couldn't it roll into someone or some thing? I remember JEEP having this issue a few years back, where people were killed when their "parked" jeep rolled over them. I think a famous actor was one of those victims in his driveway. Has GMC ever released a statement as to why only some VIN #s are included in this recall, when MANY of us on here are experiencing the same issue??

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that after shifting to park, the vehicle could not immediately be turned off. The message "Shift to Park" was displayed. The contact stated that after several attempts, the vehicle was able to be turned off. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V516000 (POWER TRAIN). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 59,000.

Shift to park. Dash stating "Shift to Park" when vehicle has been put in park, this results in being unable to turn vehicle completely off. Have to continually move gear shift and hope that it recognizes that the car is in park, this lasted over 30 minutes of trying to get the car to recognize that it was in park. This needs to be recalled.